The News You Might Have
Missed: Project Censored

In March 2014, a panel of media experts from Project Censored,
who put out a yearly compilation of the least known but most
important news stories, spoke at the World Trade Center in
Portland. The four analysts answer audience questions in our show
covering the event, "Project Censored Visits Portland" (VB
#91.10&11). Co-editors Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth,
author and professor Nolan Higdon, and past director Peter Phillips
discussed themes from their latest book, Censored 2014: Fearless
Speech in Fateful Times. Their mission is to point out what is
missing or biased in corporate news coverage and what ordinary
community members can do about it. They note how coverage of
current events resembles junk food news where real stories are
poorly covered or not covered.

Mickey Huff, Nolan Higdon & Andy Lee Roth of Project
Censored

One panelist notes how corporate media dealt with Occupy Wall
Street in an attempt to trivialize it, while successful collective efforts,
such as those of the people of Iceland to secure their public lands,
got no coverage at all. The panelists give advice on being a well-
informed citizen by using multiple sources for your news,
supporting net neutrality, and being responsible for how you
process and use the information you encounter. The panel was
sponsored by Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation. This show was
taped and edited by FFVC contributor Allen Evans.

Prominent Peace Activist Says:
Abolish War

Flying Focus covered David Swanson's December 16, 2013 talk at
Laughing Horse Books in Portland in which he made the case that
war is illegal. Swanson lays out his rationale, history and
philosophy in a persuasive and comprehensive argument in
"David Swanson: Ending War" (VB #90.11&12). He includes
historical efforts to end all wars including a US treaty (Kellogg-
Briand) that the government needs to be reminded about.

Swanson is the author of War No More: the Case for Abolition;
When the World Outlawed War; War is a Lie and Daybreak:
Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect
Union. Our show was taped, edited and produced by field
coordinator PC Peri, with editing assistance from Dan Handelman.

Afghan Peace Activists Speak to
Portlanders 12 Years After the Invasion

In October 2013, a forum in Portland on the impacts of the US
invasion and occupation of Afghanistan examined the human,
financial and political tolls of the then 12-year-long war. A highlight
of the evening was a live call to Afghan peace activists in Kabul.
Much of that internet-based call and the forum are featured in
"Afghanistan 12 Years Later: The Costs of Endless War" (VB
#90.3&4).

The panelists who were physically at the First Unitarian Church
included activist Trudy Cooper, who traveled to Pakistan with Code
Pink in 2012, speaking about the devastation of US drone strikes.
Other panelists were Marty Hart-Landsberg, professor of
economics from Lewis and Clark, speaking on the economic
impact of endless war; Penny Dex, a veteran of the US Army who
co-founded Veterans Transition Corps, addressing veterans' issues
and suicides; and Carol Urner of Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom focusing on the universal yearning for non-
violence.

Despite the proposed drawdown of US troops, it is likely the US will
continue to occupy and influence the country into the future, with
drone attacks continuing there and in Pakistan, Yemen, and
Somalia. This show was taped by new Flying Focus volunteer Emily
Olson, coached by PC Peri, with additional footage from producer
and editor Dan Handelman.

Follow up on "Trevor Aaronson: Manufacturing Terrorism" (VB
#86.10&11 -- August 2013 newsletter): Human Rights
Watch examined 494 cases of terrorism since 9/11 and found only
four that did not involve informants helping to concoct the plots.
One man was convicted of material support for having waterproof
socks in his luggage. (The Guardian, July 21, 2014)

Turning Brownfields Into
Greenspaces

A panel of local experts discussed brownfields and the government
resources that are available to turn a vacant/underused property
into a new project or development at the October 22, 2013 meeting
of the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods. The panel included Rep.
Lew Frederick of Portland (House District 43), Jenn Bildersee of
Portland Bureau of Environmental Services / Portland Brownfield
Program, Stephen Green of Portland Development Commission,
Tyler Bump of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, and
Cassie Cohen of Groundwork Portland. Hear what they have to
say-- and see a few examples of converted spaces-- in "Making
Brownfields Green" (VB #90.7&8).

This show was taped by field coordinator PC Peri, with additional
footage from producer and editor Barb Greene. Editing assistance
was from Dan Handelman.

Latinos and Racism in Portland

Race Talks 2, an opportunity for dialogue about issues of race, held
a discussion about the Latino experience in Oregon on February 7,
2014 at Jefferson High School. Participants included Antonio
Lopez, a PPS regional administrator; Dr. Verenice Guttierrez,
principal at Harvey Scott School, and Cesar Hernandez, a student
management specialist at Cesar Chavez School. If you think
Portland is liberal and racially inclusive, prepare to be shocked as
these educators share their personal experiences of racism here. In
particular, Gutitierrez' testimony about the backlash she received
for noting that not all kids eat peanut butter sandwiches is
astounding.

Antonio Lopez

"The Latino Experience of Racism in Oregon" (VB #91.2&3)
was taped by field coordinator PC Peri and edited by Barb Greene
with help from Dan Handelman.

Streaming Videos: Support
Flying Focus and Educate Thousands!

If you're looking for something to watch and have the ability to
stream video to your computer (or handheld device), Flying Focus
now has five full length shows on line. You can access them all
through our site at www.flyingfocus.org/ videostreaming.html or
visit our new YouTube channel,
www.youtube.com/FlyingFocusShows.

We make streaming rights available for each program with your
donation of $75 (individuals & nonprofits) or $125 (larger
institutions). Once you obtain streaming rights, the show can be
posted on line for all the world to see-- for free -- on your own site
and/or ours if you wish.

When you combine all the views of our streaming shows (over
1000) and the 38 shorter clips on our original
www.youtube.com/FlyingFocus page (over 14,500), that means
over 15,000 people have been able to watch our educational videos
to date. We've never been able to find out exactly how many people
watch the show on cable access, so having this data is a gratifying
step forward.

You can help us get the word out! If you don't have $75 now, think
about pooling resources with friends to ensure that a Flying Focus
title which means a lot to you can be put on line for free viewing.
You will be a benefactor of our ongoing work and for others
hungry for information they can't get elsewhere.

Of course, donations of any size are always welcome to help us
keep doing our work, and we continue to offer our shows on DVD.
Beginning with our last catalog insert, you can now see there and
in the text version of our catalog on line all the shows that we've
previously sent out on DVD, making them much quicker to get
back to you than ones that have never been ordered. Look for the
special symbol " " if you want a DVD that will arrive in 1-2 weeks
rather than the usual 4-6 weeks.

Thanks for helping us cover issues that the corporate news media
doesn't!

We are also seeking $150 to buy a card to allow our computer to
use USB3, and $800 to buy enough hard drives to last us for the
next two years of production...